Tumbleweed Tiny House Blog

Before moving into a tiny home, you may experience some fear, uncertainty and doubt about living successfully there.

As a group, tiny home dwellers seem to be so organized. According to Thurstontalk.com: “There is no clutter, everything has it’s place. ‘I hate single use items,’ says Brittany Yunker. ‘You could get this giant thing that crushes garlic for you or you could use a cutting board and knife.’ She isn’t judging. There simply isn’t enough room.”

Chicken or egg: Is it true that people attracted to tiny homes are inherently organized? Or do these homes help people live in a more organized way?

As a full-time designer, I think about how small spaces create and support a sense of order. Home floor plans reflect unique interests of dwellers, so the location and sizing of great rooms, sleeping quarters, kitchens and baths become very important. When designed well, tiny dwellers gain a sense of “fitting” in their downsized surroundings.

Storage comfort: People care about how they put away or display possessions.

Maybe our genetics play a role, back to our hunter-gatherer ancestors. We focus on things like shelves, corners, lofts and closets. What’s different for tiny homes is that storage isn’t deep. You’ll typically notice one or maybe two layers of objects, easily found, used and returned to their proper place. Since there’s no digging around, organization naturally happens.

The organization comes from slimming down on all the gadgets that, from lack of use, find their way to the back of the drawer or the back of the closet. In a tiny space, everything gets used regularly, so it stays visible and close at hand.

You’re unique: Tiny dwellers do look like they belong in their houses, when living arrangements are optimized.

There’s musicians with their harps and guitars. Others surrounded by more tech gadgets than you’ll ever use. A couple with ski gear outside, and socks drying by the fireplace. And more dwellers who’s places look like they came from an interior design magazine. Everyone has different priorities about what matters to them. The beauty of living in a tiny space is that things which are an integral part of “who you are” come to the forefront.

So don’t be shy about tiny living. It’s not nearly as rough as you think!

I am SO excited! Since the boom era of the e-readers began a few years ago, I’ve been saying the publishers and retailers need to find a way to make digitizing one’s library more accessible and affordable for book addicts like me. We want to downsize our physical goods but, for those of us with an extensive library, it’s cost prohibitive to re-purchase most or all of our books in digital form.

Finally Amazon has announced the launch of Kindle MatchBook, an arrangement that lets you purchase the Kindle edition of books you’ve already bought from them in print at a low price. The MatchBook list includes 10,000 titles for which past, present, and future print-edition purchases will allow you to buy the Kindle edition for $2.99, $1.99, $0.99, or free. Given the number of books in the world, it seems likely the list will grow if the launch is successful. MatchBook offers will include Amazon purchases all the way back to 1995 when the online retailer opened.

While this only applies to Amazon shoppers who use Kindles, it’s still a great innovation that will no doubt soon be adapted in various ways by other e-book retailers. I have a VERY hard time reducing my book collection beyond a certain point because there’s nothing quite like the physical presence of certain beloved volumes, but this could help me reduce my book collection quite a bit without those painful moments of loss: “I just wanted to read that one paragraph one more time, but I gave that book away last month!”

Here’s a list of ten books I’ll be searching for as soon as the Kindle BookMatch service gets started:

Do you want to experience first-hand what it’s like to live in a tiny house? Have you ever wondered what it’s like to wake up in a cozy loft bed or cook a meal in a compact, galley-style kitchen?

I’d like to welcome you to stay at my tiny house for a few nights so that you can try tiny living for yourself! The Bayside Bungalow is a tiny house vacation rental. It’s based on the Tumbleweed Fencl design & includes all the amenities of a home, just in a smaller size, including a shower, composting toilet, microwave, fridge, reading nook, dining table & sleeping loft! The house is perched on a hilltop on beautiful, quiet waterfront property in Olympia, Washington. I would love to share my house with anyone and everyone considering downsizing to a tiny home!

But my tiny house hasn’t always been a tiny tester home. The story begins four years ago when I needed a place to call home. Working seasonal jobs across the globe, I found myself constantly returning to my parents’ spare bedroom between gigs. “I’m 26,” I thought, “I can’t do this forever.” I wanted a place that was all my own, even though I didn’t know where I would be in a few years, let alone in upcoming months.

So one night, I just made the plunge! With a few clicks on my laptop, I purchased plans for the Tumbleweed Fencl & ordered a Dickinson stove for heating (plan ahead, right?). I attended a Tumbleweed workshop, spent hours pouring over books to beef up my building skills (needing more knowledge than my 8th grade shop class afforded me), bought a pair of overalls & went to work.

After purchasing a trailer & loading up on supplies at the local hardware store, the house seemed to take form so quickly, even though I worked mostly alone on the build. Before long, the foundation was ready, the walls built & the ceiling joists hoisted up and oh-my-gosh it really looked like a house (squeal!). A family friend graciously offered to help with the parts of the build that might kill me (let’s leave that to a professional, right?), namely the propane, electric, and the roof. The deal: he would work for an afternoon in exchange for a 6-pack of his choosing. Pretty nice offer! With his help, the tiny frame became a house – complete with running water, electricity & heat!

And so, after a several laborious months of sawdust in my hair, splinters in my hands, and determination in my mind, I had the house I had always wanted: efficient, well designed, cozy, and most importantly, cute! (But perhaps I’m biased.) I spent two joyous years living large in my little house. I was debt free & carefree, with more time & money to spend on experiences rather than things.

Since then, my boyfriend and I have decided to upsize slightly to a small cottage downtown. And the tiny house remains where it was built, perched at the top of a hill, between two apple trees & awaiting your visit to experience its charm!

Kent Griswold, creator of the outstanding Tiny House Blog, recently stayed for a night with his wife in the Linden 20. As you may know, we have our newest model set up on a remote forested property outside the little California town of Healdsburg.

Now anyone who’s interested can rent it short term to experience the reality of life in a tiny dwelling. He’s shared several photos and insights into the experience for those of you who are curious about what it’s like. Check it out here and if you’d like to try out the tiny house experience while enjoying a truly lovely wine country getaway, schedule your stay at airbnb.com.

We are eagerly seeking a passionate tiny house fan with a degree in architecture, construction management, or civil / structural engineering. Tumbleweed recently became a nationally certified manufacturer of tiny homes; this has opened the door for a lot of exciting opportunities going forward because our tiny homes on wheels now fit neatly inside building and zoning codes. To learn more about this opportunity click here…